Harvester-reel support.



Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Inventor:

fisseA. Scanland,

ANDREW. a. GRAHAM 0o PHOYO-LITNOGRAPHERS. wAsmNufom o. c.

-J. A. SCANLAND.

. HARVES'IER REEL SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1906.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

3 SEBETS-SHEET 2.

Inventor: 'J'e A. Sea I J. A. SOANLAND. HARVESTER REEL SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1906.

Patented Nov.30, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' Attorney.

IIZUtETlZOI'.

Scanland,

mung-11mm.

witnesses UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE A. SCANLAND, OF PEORIA, ILLINOI S ASSIGNOR TO ACME HARVESTINGMACHINE COMPANY, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS, .A.CORPOEATIO1\T OF NEW JERSEY.

HARVESTER-REEL SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn A. SOANLAND, a citizen of the United States,and a-resident of Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Harvester-Reel Supports,of which the following is a specification, such as will enable thoseskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates in general to har vester reels, and moreparticularly to the means for supporting and adjusting them to suitdifferent conditions of grain.

It has for its object to provide means for supporting the outer end ofthe reel; to provide such means as may readily be adjusted; and toprovide means for simultaneously disengaging the latching devices forthe support of each end of the reel.

Heretofore it has been the practice in the construction of harvesters ofthe pull type to mount the reel shaft in an adjustable frame located atthe inner end thereof, whereby the reel is supported at one end only. Inmachines of 5- and 6-fo0t out this method is very satisfactory but inmachines of 7- and 8-foot out, which are largely in demand at thepresent time, it is very unsatisfactory, since the outer end of the reelbeing unsupported whips about, frequently catching on the guards andbringing excessive strains on the supporting frame and the reel itself,all of which endangers one or another part of the machine. Attempts haveheretofore been made to support and adjust the reel at both ends, butall have proved so complicated and expensive or inefficient that theyhave never come into common use, if in fact any use at all.

My invention is designed to overcome the objections to former devices ofthe same type by providing a support for the outer end of the reel,which is adjustable with the inner support through the intermediacy ofthe reel and is flexible when adjusted, but after adjustment is maderigid at will, whereby, during the operation of the machine, the reel issupported at both ends.

An embodiment of my invention is shown in the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification, in which like characters ofreference designate like parts.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is an outer end elevation of a harvestershowing my invention and the manner of applying it; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of my reel support, on an enlarged scale, showing itsconstruct-ion more in detail; Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on a stilllarger scale, of the adjusting levers connected directly with the innersupport showing the means for connecting the latches of each with thelatches of the outer support; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the partshown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of a harvester showing therelative position of the reel and its inner and outer supports; the seatshown in Fig. 1' being omitted for clearness.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 designates the traction wheel and2 the grain wheel of a harvester, upon which the mainframe 3 is mountedand held in equilibrium by the tongue 4 in the usual manner. Secured toand forming a part of the mainframe is the U-shaped seat pipe 5, whichsupports the seat 6, the over-hung upper elevator 7, and the reeladjusting levers 8 and 9. At the forward end of the seat pipe is mountedthe inner reel support formed of the two articulating members 10 and 11,of familiar construction, which carry the usual driving gearing forimparting motion to the reel 12. The reel adjusting levers are connectedrespectively to the articulating members of this inner support in theordinary way, whereby the reel maybe raised and lowered, or movedforward and backward as the condition of the grain requires.

As so far described,'the construction may be of the usual or anypreferred form, for my invention may readily be adapted to the same.

Secured to the rear sill of the main-frame 3 adjacent to the plane ofthe grain wheel is a standard 13 preferably formed of an angle-iron andinclined forward, which standard is suitably braced by an angle-ironbrace 14 secured to it and to the outer sill 15 forming a part of thedivider truss of the main-frame. Near the upper end of this standard ispivoted a supporting arm 16 which extends forward and is adapted to beheld in different positions in a fixed relation with the standard 13 bymeans of a ratchet quadrant 17 secured to the upper end of the standard,and a latch 18, engaging therewith and carried by the arm, to both ofwhich reference will be made later. Pivoted to the arm 16 is a dependingarm 19 which carries a bearing 20 at its lower end in which the outerend of the reel shaft 21 is journaled. This depending arm also isadapted to be held in difi'erent positions in a fixed relation with thesupporting arm 16, in the same way this supporting arm is held in afixed relation with the standard 13; that is, by means of a ratchetquadrant 22 carried by the depending arm and a latch 23 engagingtherewith and secured to the supporting arm. Suitable guides 24 serve tohold the quadrant in an operative position and stops 25 to prevent theirpassing beyond their operative limits. In order that the weight of theouter end of the reel may be counterbalanced, a spring 26 is provided,which is connected at one end by means of an adjustable bolt 27 to thebrace 14 and at the other to the rearward extension 28 of the supportingarm. A series of holes is provided in this extension for varying theeffective arm through which the spring acts, and hence the leverage onthe reel. The inner end of the reel is counterbalanced as usual by thespring 29.

From the above description it will be readily seen that the outer end ofthe reel is supported by two articulating members similar in action tothose support-ing the inner end, and that if both the latches 18 and 23were disengaged from their respective ratchets 17 and 22, the outer endof the reel would then be free so that the reel could be moved in anydirection in the usual manner within the limits of its adjustment,regardless of the relative length of the articulating members, or thelocation of their pivotal points. Since, in the present embodiment of myinvention, the articulating members of the outer support differ greatlyin length from those of the inner support and their pivotal points arefar out of line, it is necessary that both latches of the outer supportbe disengaged. To this end they are provided with latch rods 31 and 32which are connected to a swinging arm 33 mounted upon the supporting arm16 near its pivotal point. This swinging arm is in turn connected with alever 34, adapted to be operated from the drivers seat, by means of arod 35 and a cable 36, which latter passes over a pulley 37 at the outerrear end of the platform, thence along the rear edge of the platform andover a pulley 38 at the lower arm of the U-shaped seat pipe 5 and thenover succeeding pulleys as 39 to the operating lever 34. Since now bothof these latches must be disengaged simultaneously with thedisengagement of the latch of either of the adjusting levers 8 or 9, itis desirable that the operating lever 34 be connected with the latch ofeach adjusting lever so that the number of levers to be manipulated maybe reduced to a minimum. With this object in view the operating lever 34is made in the form of a bell-crank, one arm 40 of which is connectedwith the cable 36, and the other arm 41 with the latch 42 of adjustinglever 9 by means of a link 43. This operating lever is secured to a rockshaft 44 journalcd in a suitable box 45 which preferably forms a part ofthe ratchet quadrant 46. To the opposite end of this rock shaft issecured the arm 47 which is connected with the latch 48 of the adjustinglever 8 by means of a link 49. In order that either ratchet may be movedindependent of the other the arms 41 and 47 are provided with slots as50, in which the links 43 and 49 slide, when one or the other of thelatches are operated by the usual latch handles as 51. Latches and 48,although they are not provided with springs as is usual, are held inproper engagement with their respective ratchets by the springs of thelatches 1S and 23, both of which operate simultaneously. The turnbuckle52 is provided to adjust the operative length of cable 36.

i The operation of my invention it is thought will be easily understoodfrom the above description, without further comment. In a. word,however,it is as follows: \Vhen it is desired to adjust the reel thelatch of either 9 of the levers 8 or 9 is disengaged from its ratchet bymeans of the latch handle in the usual manner. Both the latches of theouter support, being connected with each of these latches, aredisengaged from their ratchets by the same operation, thus making theouter support flexible and adapted to be adjusted at will through theintermediacy of the inner support, to which the adjustment lovers areconnected, and the reel itself. After the reel has been adjusted asdesired, the latch handle is released so that the latches en age theirrespective ratchets again, whereby both supports are made rigid and thereel supported at both ends.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a support therefor, andmeans for adjusting said support through the intermediacy of said reel.

2. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a flexible supporttherefor, and means for adjusting said support through the intermediacyof said reel.

3. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a support therefor formedof two or more articulating members, and means for adjusting saidsupport through the intermediacy of said? reel.

4. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a support for the innerend thereof, means for adjusting said support, a support for the outerend of said reel formed of two or more articulating members, means forholding said members relatively rigid, and means also for releasing thesame at will.

5. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a support for each endformed of two or more articulating members, means for holding saidmembers relatively rigid, and means also for releasing the same at will.

6. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, an inner and an outersupport therefor each formed of two or more articulating members, meansfor holding said members relatively rigid, and means also forsimultaneously releasing the members of the outer support at will.

7. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a support for the innerend thereof, means for adjusting said support,-a support for the outerend of said reel, both of said supports formed of two or morearticulating members, means for holding the members of each supportrelatively rigid, and means also for simultaneously releasing at willsaid members of the outer support and any of said members of the innersupport.

8. In a harvester, the combination of a reel, a support for the innerend thereof formed of two articulating members, an adjusting leverconnected with each of said members, a latch and a ratchet quadrant foreach of said levers, a support for the outer end of said reel formed oftwo movable articulating members, a latch and ratchet quadrant for eachof the members of said outer support, and a connection between each ofthe latches of the adjusting levers and the latches of the outersupport.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JESSE A. SCANLAND. Witnesses:

S. D. PORTER, F. A. SMITH.

